SAMUR Social comparte experiencia en emergencia social con expertos internacionales

Fernández at the First International Congress on Social Emergencies of the City Council of Madrid

The Delegate for Social Policies, Family and Equality, José Fernández, closed today the First International Congress on Social Emergencies of the City Council of Madrid, organized by SAMUR Social on the occasion of its 20th anniversary. Professionals from this municipal service and experts from different countries and other Spanish cities shared their experience in addressing social emergencies, as well as the protocols to be activated to help and support the population from a social perspective in case of emergencies or unforeseen events such as natural disasters or accidents.

Fernández recalled that the 11M was the origin of the creation of SAMUR Social. The largest terrorist attack in the history of Spain demonstrated its necessity and was launched in June 2004. «As a city that cares for and welcomes with love, solidarity and care, it appeared in Madrid generating a legacy of hope,» said the delegate, who highlighted that «20 years later, we thank the professionals» who have been part of this service, providing means to minimize damage in emergency situations and focusing on the most vulnerable, which are our priority.»

The forum brought together experts and members of emergency services from four different countries. The representatives from Italy presented the intervention against floods in Florence and Tuscany from 2023; those from Taiwan, the response to natural phenomena such as earthquakes; those from Great Britain recounted the experience of the Grenfell Tower fire, and those from Colombia shared the work of emergency psychosocial care in the city of Pereira. In addition, there was a round table where examples of good practices and challenges of emergency social services in Barcelona, Zaragoza, and Valencia were presented, while SAMUR Social reviewed its entire history.

Two decades serving Madrid

The City Council of Madrid created SAMUR Social in 2004 with the aim of providing comprehensive care for unforeseen events, in coordination with the other emergency services of Madrid, such as Municipal Police, Firefighters, and SAMUR- Civil Protection. Since then, it has provided an immediate social response to emergency situations and has provided material (housing or food) and emotional support to people in need of professional assistance to minimize the impact of their situation and help them recover lost normality.

Currently, the service is made up of more than 200 professionals and manages various health and accommodation resources. Throughout its history, SAMUR Social has established itself as a benchmark in the care of social emergencies throughout the national territory. To date, it has handled 1.2 million calls, 250,000 individual or family emergencies, 1,150 collective or major emergencies, and has assisted 19,200 elderly people at risk through SAMUR Social Mayor.

The City Council is thus promoting various actions to celebrate its anniversary. A commemorative coupon was issued by the ONCE, a concert and an informative day were organized on Paseo del Prado for families, and a campaign to promote its achievements was launched. In addition, on Thursday, October 17, a photographic exhibition will open at the Municipal Library Eugenio Trías that visually showcases its 20 years through key elements such as uniforms or received recognitions. As a final touch, in December, a feature film that reviews its history will be screened at the Ateneo.